WITH parking charges at a premium in Oxford homeowners are cashing in by renting out their driveways to commuters.
Last year residents made more than £50,000 hiring out their parking spots using mobile phone app JustPark – and that is just in Oxford.
Across the county since 2006, spare driveways have made their owners £312,000, and the annual income is growing each year.
There are 445 spaces listed in Oxfordshire, the average price being £7.50 a day.
The Gass family of Ash Grove, Headington, have been leasing their spare space for the past two years, and it has made them hundreds of pounds.
Mum-of-two Ruth Gass said: “For almost a year we had the same guy who lived in Didcot but worked in Headington, and we got to know him quite well – he sent his kids to a summer school and our kids’ school.
“Since then we’ve had a real mix of people – there’s Ruskin College, the hospitals and all of Headington – we’ve even had people just going to church services.
“Most people, if I’m around, I try to pop up to see that they’re okay and that they know where they’re going.”
Mrs Gass, a full-time mum, said she didn’t make a living from renting the space, but the spare cash was handy.
She said: “I’ve no idea how much we’ve made. Each month it could be £30 or it could be £80, the amount ebbs and flows, but it is handy to entertain the kids with.
“It’s super-easy to use, nice to have the extra cash and I think it works well.”
In 2009, JustPark users in Oxford raked in £700.
The following year the figure was five times that.
Already this year they have cashed in £40,000.
The cheapest space the app has in Oxfordshire is Buckingham Road next to Bicester North, at £1.20 per day, and the most expensive is St Clement’s in Oxford at £22.
A survey by JustPark earlier this year rated Oxford the fifth most expensive city to park in the UK – not using its own service.
Off-street car parks run by Oxford City Council and private companies cost an average of £15.90 a day, the company found.
Drivers can spend up to £25 a day to use off-street parking, with the most expensive car parks being Worcester Place and Gloucester Green car parks.
PRICES PER DAY
* Cave Street, St Clement’s: £12.50
* Ablett Close, East Oxford: £8.80
* Peacock Road, Headington: £6.90
* Iffley Road: £12.50
* Marston Ferry Road, North Oxford: £8.80
* Clear Water Place, North Oxford: £11.30
* Stanton Road, Harcourt Hill: £10
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